Integrating Conservation Genetics, Population Genetics, and eDNA Metabarcoding to understand and manage the Endangered Fen Raft Spider in the UK

This project aims to build on recent innovations in eDNA and metabarcoding to
develop non-invasive tools to detect and monitor populations of the globally threatened, semi-aquatic
Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius). In the UK, this is a conservation Priority Species and the subject
of a long-term conservation Action Plan that includes establishing populations by translocation to
suitably restored habitat. Study of D. plantarius will transform our understanding of new and existing
populations by providing a tool for monitoring their changing range and informing habitat management
and has benefits more broadly in terms of allowing an assessment of the health of the semi-aquatic
ecosystem within which this species occurs. The integration of eDNA and conservation genetics to help
formulate conservation plans has implications internationally for other conservation efforts in habitats
that are similarly threatened by human-induced change.
In addition, the distribution of genetic diversity within the small, fragmented populations of D.
plantarius in the UK will be investigated more broadly using exuviae/spent eggsacs as a non-invasive
method. This allows better understanding of extinction risk and further informs new conservation
strategies. D. plantarius is known from two remnant sites in England and one in Wales. Previous genetic
studies have focused on one of the English sites.
This project involves the University of Nottingham (UoN) together with CASE partners the Broads
Authority and the NGO Buglife. Key stakeholders include the Natural History Museum (NHM),
Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Natural England and Natural Resources Wales (NRW), and the NGOs
British Arachnological Society, The Wildlife Trusts and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
(RSPB). In addition to providing insights into a specific conservation issue, the project brings together
partners interested in applying molecular tools more generally to the study of species and ecosystems
in the UK and provides an excellent opportunity for doctoral student training.